Competitive Eater Tim Janus, 'Eater X,' Dies at 49
The short version
- Tim Janus died Sept. 16 at 49 following complications from cancer, per Major League Eating.
- Competing as 'Eater X' from 2006 to 2018, he rose as high as No. 2 in the world.
- He partnered with Joey Chestnut on Season 30 of 'The Amazing Race' in 2018.
- He won $100,000 on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' in 2009.
The Major League Eating Hall of Famer and 'Amazing Race' contestant died Sept. 16 after a long illness, the organization said.
Tim Janus, a competitive eater known by the nickname 'Eater X,' died Sept. 16 at age 49. Major League Eating announced that his death followed a long struggle with cancer.
Janus built a 12-year career on the eating circuit, running from 2006 through 2018, and climbed as high as second in the world rankings, where only Joey Chestnut stood ahead of him. His hall-of-fame resume included world titles in tiramisu, ramen noodles and nigiri sushi. At the 2010 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, he ate 45 hot dogs and placed second to Chestnut's 54.
Beyond the table, Janus reached television audiences. He and Chestnut raced together across eight episodes of Season 30 of CBS's 'The Amazing Race' in 2018. He had earlier won $100,000 on the syndicated version of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' in 2009, the same year he appeared on TLC's 'Cake Boss.'
His screen credits also included the 2007 National Geographic Channel documentary 'The Science of Speed Eating' and the 2021 documentary 'ScarfFace.' Born Dec. 31, 1976, in Farmington, Conn., Janus was inducted into the Major League Eating Hall of Fame.
